Hymns of the Missing
by TuesdayTerrible
Summary: He tried to push out the feelings that it wasnt them and us. That they were one. Still when he looked around all he saw was the missing. (Set after the end of Season 3)
1. Chapter 1

Authors Note: The story takes place between the end of season three, and wherever season 4 decides to pick up. Just the group getting use to the remaining Woodbury folk, and everyone dealing with their personal losses and finding comfort in each other. Focus point will be Daryl x Carol but a lot of relationships between the characters will be acknowledged here. As always, enjoy the ride.

* * *

There's fifteen strangers in their home.

It's not that they regret their decision- they dont. They can care for the people of Woodbury- train them to defend themselves, they can learn to trust them. Its just, the amount of time they spent not trusting people fending for their little group, for the people they grew to love- it was a hard pill to swallow the added prescences that now made their prison full instead of spacious.

She found Daryl outside, sweat dripping from his brow as he shoveled dirt from the earth. She approached him knowing exactly what he was doing- whose grave he was making. Rick had moved the truck with the white sheet towards where their growing graveyard was. Michone sat in the bed of the truck next to the corpse, sweat dripping from her brow- and Carol guessed by the look of it, she had started the hole, and Daryl was finishing up.

"It's a big change." she muttered softly, rubbing her hands over her bare shoulders. He grunted in response, using his left hand to wipe the sweat from his brow. She took it as a yeah it was, and watched as Michonne lifted Andrea from the bed of the truck by herself- she had a flash of a memory of Andrea carrying Amy all by herself unwilling to share it with anyone else. She could see it in her hard brown eyes that Daryl or Carol would not be placing her in the grave. Daryl stepped aside as she came, her form a little shaky, but he must have picked up that it was something she wanted to do on her own as well.

She managed to get her into the ground relativly peacefully, and than Daryl began to shovel the dirt back over her.

"Should I get the others?" Carol questioned quietly. "Rick?"

"Yes." Michone said quietly her voice no more than a whisper, and as she walked away from the two- she couldnt help but notice the physical strain in Daryl that hadnt been there before, a slight movement in his forearms that made it seem that the shovel was heavier than it should be.

X

Everyone came to Andrea's funeral, by the time the prison group and the people of Woodbury had emerged and circled themselves among the fallen, the brave was covered and Michone or Daryl had stuck a makeshift cross into the ground.

Rick as always moved to the front and cleared his throat, the crowd growing silent among them.

"We gather here today to lay a dear friend to rest. I didnt know Andrea before the walkers came around, I met her in Atlanta when I was looking for my wife- who she lays beside now, and my chid, Carl who stands among you."

Shes not sure what makes her do it exactly but Carol offers her hand to Daryl tentativly, not really expecting him to take it. He does though, his eyes trained on Rick, a calloused thumb running over her knuckles nervously. She took her eyes off of him and squeezed as she listened to Rick's voice which echoed among them just as powerfully as it had when Dale past- just as Im sure he had done for her little girl.

"Andrea is the reason, you stand with us now. She is the reason we are trying to open our homes and our hearts to you. She never wanted it to be us and you. She wanted us to be a unit, a team, she wanted us to be able to rely on eachother and work together as HUMAN BEINGS. To defend ourselves. She did her best, and as she said, she _tried._"

Tyresse shifted uncomfortably beside his daughter, her eyes cast down slightly to their feet. They were the only two who didnt know really know of Andrea, other than that she was a girl who hopped the fense and warned them of the Governor. The man who attacked the prison, gunned down his own people, the man was the reason she lay burried beneathe the ground. They couldnt have stopped it, there was no way for them to have truly known. Still, they didnt seem to have a right to be there.

"In honor of her- we need to build ourselves up. Learn how to defend ourselves and each other, contribute what we can and what we know. We make eachother stronger. We pull together even though its easier to pull apart. This. This is what she would of wanted."

And they believed him. Every single one of them.

X

Carol hadnt seen Daryl much since than, and its not like she didnt want to, everyone was just so damn busy with the newcomers of Woodbury and getting them situated, going on runs to stock up for the winter- and it was getting plenty hard to scavenge for food as it was.

So she was surprised when she saw his lips upturned into a small smile with one of the new-comers at his side. She paused in between mid fold of one of his tee-shirts and leaned out of her prison corridors to get a better look. It was that girl Rick had told her about from the highway, young- darkhaired, good with a weapon- the only one the governor didnt manage to gun down.

She bit her lower lip as something errupted in her chest that she hadnt felt in years- but already knew the name for. She was jealous. It was stupid really being jealous of him just being in the proximity of a younger woman. But it wasnt just that- it was the look on his face that did it. That slight upturn of the lip that she thought was just reserved for their group- turned out to be a gesture that a stranger could coax out of him.

The worst part was, there was nothing she could do about it- and with the increased take of people. She would probably just let Daryl Dixon- her best friend slip through her hands. Because while her heart insisted that there was more- that there could be something great- her mind told her otherwise. He wasnt interested in relationships, and if he was, it wasnt someone like her.

It was late when she finally moved into her cell for the night- Rick was hoping to expand and fix the south entrance to give everyone more room to move about not to seperate the group but to make the prison a little more comfortable. Until than, she had expected to have a roomate but as she surveyed her space- nothing new had been added to her cell and she found herself grateful.

Her body was tired, but her mind found herself restless, and for the first time since they arrived at the prison- Carol allowed herself the insecurity to pull out Sophias doll from under her bed. She pressed the mud stained doll to her chest desperate to feel some piece of her daughter again, and she found herself crying soundlessly into the doll.

The pain never goes away, and even as she tuck the doll back away to its secret hiding space underneathe her bottom bunk- she found herself wandering about Daryl and how he was really dealing with Merle's death.

She knew if he needed her, he would find her. She couldnt help the insecurity of the fact it may not be her he looks for any more.

It wasnt until his shadow lingered in the her entry way did that feeling go away. She smiled upon seeing him, sitting up slightly in bed. His eyes scanned over her face and she wondered if her grief over her daughter was still written on her face. He stared towards her, his voice gruff as he gestured towards the top bunk with his head.

"Gotta double up for a while...this okay?"

She nodded, a small smile brushing her features. "Of course. Could use the company."

"Me too." he answered to her surprise as he sat the crossbow down in the corner of the room along with his own backpack of meager belongings. He took a seat next to her on the bed, his arm brushing against hers so softly she felt the hairs on her arms stand up, ever so slightly.

A silence rose between them then, and not a comfortable familiar one. She could tell he had something he wanted to express to her, and she knew in the permanent wound Sophias death had left within her- she knew that his was a mirror reflection of that pain- except with Merle. So she waited quietly allowing her fingers to tentativly brush against his- not holding his hand, just barely skimming over his skin.

"I didnt get ta bury him." his voice came out strangled and he burried his face in his hands, brown hair covering blue eyes.

_We bury the ones we love. _

"We can fix that." Carol says quietly knowing how much it would pain him to see his brothers inhuman form. She remembered what it had been like to see her daughter emerge from that barn, and the pain engulfed her chest at the near thought.

"His eyes." His voice broke even farther and his shoulders hunched just slightly, she moved to touch him than and he flinched away from her touch and rose to a stand. She noticed how his hands curled in anger, even though he wasnt angry. It was a default for him- to cover his grief with rage. The two seemed to go hand in hand with Daryl Dixon.

He shook his head trying to control his anger- he had more than his closenit family now. He had a whole prisonful of people to think about hearing his temper.

A group of people which some of which had chanted for his and Merle's death. There wasnt a single damn person who cared that his brother was dead- and suddenly his glare was turned towards her.

"Fuck you." he whispered harshly. "You aint no different from the rest of em. You said he was no good for me. You dont know whats good for me."

She didnt respond to his words or flinch as he talked- and her lack of response seemed to piss him off more as he stormed out of the cell leaving his crossbow and belongings still nestled in the corner of her cell.

The departure left her unsteady on the inside, worried and anxious and damn near shaken- she lifted her hand to her rapidly humming heart as she stared towards the cell door. He hadnt spoken to her since that night he had proclaimed Sophia wasnt his. She had flinched from him then as if his words had struck her like Ed's fist once had. She hadnt this time and she thought it might have just been from shock. She hadnt expected him to speak to her like that again- not how far they had come. Not now.

She wasnt sure how much of it was grief stricken- or how much of their friendship was in her head.

* * *

Authors Note: Please, as always, read and review. Its such a motivator and its always appreciated. :)

X


	2. Chapter 2

Authors Note: In the comics, the girl with Tyresse was his daughter Julie- in the show its apparently his sister Sasha. In the first chapter I wrote her as his daughter, but in this chapter I kept the name Sasha. If him having a daughter discourages to many people- feel free to send me a review and I will edit it to her being his sister instead. With that said- on with the story. :)

Chapter2

She woke in the middle of the night, a slight shiver crawling up her spine. She wasnt sure how long after Daryl's departure did she find sleep overtake her tired limbs, she looked down feeling an added weight of material draped over to keep her warm. She noticed that he had thrown his poncho over her to keep her warm since she hadnt bothered to shimmy under her covers. She sat up slowly, stretching the sleep from her back as she rose to a stand to peer at the bunk above.

She felt a small smile tug at her lips as she saw his curled up form, his breathing soft enough that she was certain he was asleep. It was to late to roam about the prison nor was it particularly in her comfort zone with the newcomers surrounding her on either side.

Still, while a part of her was desperate to find the words to apologize to him for his loss, a bigger part of her knew it would be no good. After all, how many countless apologies had Rick offered her for leaving Sophia alone? None of them had consoled her. She didnt blame Rick anymore- the man had gone after her daughter- something she hadnt even attempted to do. How could she blame him when everyone played a contribution to her daughters death?

She found herself exiting her prison cell despite her uncertainty and making her way in to their makeshift kitchen. She was surprised to find Tyresse in there as well, head in his hand sitted at the table.

"Cant sleep?" Carol questioned lightly, taking a seat a chair away from him.

He flinched slightly at the sound of her voice, something most people over-looked. She stared at him curiously before brushing it off, she didnt think shed see a behavior like that in another man besides Daryl, though more than lightly she had simply startled him. What were the chances of there being two abused men under the same roof at the end of the world?

"Startled me." He said apparently feeling the need to explain himself, but it was unnecesary Carol had already drawn that conclusion though she didnt feel it was necessary to point that out, just nodded as he continued.

"I didnt like him." he said slowly, and Carol responded cautiously only able to assume it was one of her people that he didnt like.

"Who?" she said slowly, her mouth feeling like twenty cotton balls had been stuffed in there.

"Rick." he said. "He was nuts flinging his gun around, screaming at us."

Once upon a time, Carol would not have gone to Rick's aid- she had her own private reservations with the man herself. But that was once upon a time, and the urge to stick up for him proved to be very strong.

"Rick has had a lot on his plate. He's shouldered the responcibility of this group by himself for a very long time- and we are all still alive thanks to him."

"I can see that now- the way he spoke of Andrea- the man well he...hes _alright _in my book. You guys certainly are a group of _good _people, its just that now that I feel safe enough to rest its like-"

"Your body wont let you?" she chimed in, because she was certainly restless being in the same cell with a grieving man she was in...well whom she had strong feelings for.

"Yeah. Restless." he said as if answering her thoughts, a small smile crossing his umber features.

It was then Carol decided that she liked him- in the same tame way she had liked Axel. There was something about him that seemed so kind and down to earth in a way that somehow or another reminded her of the dead prisoner. She bit her lip, she would never be able to hear the end of that story he started telling- and with that thought it ended up in a downward spiral of all the death that surrounded them.

He must have seen something in her eyes, because when the room finally started to focus again, she realized tears had fallen down her face and his dark hand was covering her light one. She offered him a soft smile behind a veil of tears and he offered one back, his right hand coming up to wipe an unshed tear away with his other hand.

"I know that look." he said quietly, and the tears broke from her much harder than she had intendeded. He did not hold her, he did not reach for her, he just lay his hand on top of hers and let her cry out names he didnt know- his heart heavy with the understanding of her greif.

X

He was one of the first awake in the morning, he always was- but to see that Carol was out of bed and he hadnt even heard her nagged at him. She was in their 'kitchen' and he could smell the coffee brewing as he manuevered into the room. Rick was feeding Judith in the corner of the room while Carl rubbed the sleep from his eyes- it was only Tyresse at the table, a warm cup of coffee in his hands. Carols back towards him, he felt the need to draw her attention towards him and away from the morning tasks she prepared. He didnt though.

The room filled with all of them rather quickly to his surprise and Daryl surveyed the people and tried to push out the feelings that it wasnt _them _and us. That they were one. Still when he looked around all he saw was the missing.

Lori. T-dog. Andrea. _Merle. _

His eyes met Carols then, in a room crammed tight with people and somehow- the losses didnt feel quite so unbareable.

Rick cleared his throat, and his attention turned to the man he looked to as the man he respected. The man he wished his brother could have been...and he hated himself for that. But regardless- Ricks eyes met his- and Daryl knew that regardless of blood, come hell or high water- Rick relied on him, just as much as he relied on Rick.

"Id like to start expanding and fixing the prison- there are quite a few of us, and though we cleared out a neighboring cellblock- Id like to work on rebuilding this place so everyone is free to make their own choices as to where we stay and how close we are."

No one said a word as Rick spoke, and he shifted Judith uncomfortably in his arms, and Beth moved casually to his side to take his daughter from him. He smiled to her gratefully before continuing.

"Does this sound like a bad idea to anyone? I am not your governor- I am not here to decide for you. This..." his eyes met them, his compainions and as much as he didnt want to seperate the Woodbury folk and his own- his eyes still met his people. Glenn, Hershel, Daryl. He connected his eyes with them when he spoke- because those were the people he wanted to understand- those were the people he respected. "This is a democracy. Everyone has a say."

Maggie smiled at him reassuringly, her hand grasping Glenns hand amongst the strangers.

"Maggie, Tyresse, Glenn and Karen." Rick said slowly making sure to pair them up with two Woodbury members and two of their original group- forcing them to work together and giving them protection incase something went to shit. "I want you to see what needs to be done to fix that wall, examine the damage- clear out what you can- what isnt broken or open- dont worry with it. The wall is our main focus considering the amount of people we have here now-"

"Daryl, Michone," he said slowly before turning to a blonde haired woman from Woodbury who appeared to be in her early thirties, a little blonde haired boy a little younger than Carl at her side.

"Amy." She said quietly. "And this is my son Lucas."

Rick swallowed at the mention of the familiarity of her name before nodding. "Think you can manage a gun?"

"Think I can learn." she said offering him a kind smile.

"Alrighty then, Daryl, Michonne, Amy and Sasha?" He said question staring at the younger umber girl who came with Tyresse- his daughter he had assumed- their relationship never clarified to him in the least. "Think you guys can handle cell block A?"

"Sure thing boss." Michonne said a smirk spraying across her features as she eyed the two new girls calmly. Amy seemed kind and simple enough, but Sasha had an edge to her that made her seem to stick out amongst the Woodbury new-comers.

Sasha eyed Tyresse uncertainly but the older man just gave a short nod, and she shrugged it off walking confidentally away with the woman with the sword, Amy, and the redneck with the crossbow.

It was then Rick brushed Carols arm tentativly, enough to drag her attention to him as he walked from the front of the room to the hallway where Hershel, and Beth holding little Judith stood waiting.

"You three have an important job also." Rick said in a hushed tone. "Hershel and Carol- I want you to feel these people out, find their skills, weaknesses, strengths- anything that may be useful to them and to us."

Hershel gave a quiet nod as did Carol. This was something they could easily do. They had a way of getting people to talk to them- they came across as harmless- the meek older woman and the crippled old man, apparently judgement didnt seize even in an apocalypse.

"And Beth?" The young teenager tilted her head at him curiously, blue eyes drifting away from the sleeping bundle in her arms.

"I want you to encourage Carl to interact with Lucas. Hes lost himself a bit- and well- you are the closest to his age, he may actaully listen to you without much greif. Id...Id appreciate it."

"Ill see what I can do Rick." she said softly.

"Thank you." he sighed before walking down the hall to exit the prison.

"Wait!" Hershel said suddenly, his voice loud enough that Carol actually jumped a bit. "Where are you going?"

Rick smiled grimly. "Theres one more person Im hoping to collect."

X

* * *

Authors Note: Read and Review; as always I appreciate it :D


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: My computer has been infected with a virus- so the only way to update as of now is on my little families ipad which while great for apps- is tedious for typing a story. So please, try and bare with any oddities of the updates and the shortness until i get my computer fixed (hopefully this weekend, siggghh) Anyway, onwards and upwards- please read and review.

* * *

He found him through Michone, though its not like she actually led him there or anything. It was her who had been with him in his final moments, or at least before his suicide mission- it was her who was able to give him a direction and Daryl gave him the confirmation. Neither of them knew what his intentions were- in fact, he hadnt even asked Daryl- he had just told them what Merle must of done and the gore he had stumbled upon. He had said The Governor had shot his brother in the chest and killed him- the silence that had draped over them all spoke volumes of the actions that followed next. Daryl obviously had to put him down.

Merle's carcass had been eaten some at least it looked like- some carcass missing from his legs. He wondered briefly if they were starting to eat their own kind- not that he had noticed since they still seemed to be only after the living. Merle's body gave off an odor that was far more rancid than when it was how the world _use to be, _it was the odor of how the walking dead were- it was a scent none of his people should have to bare. He felt a singe of guilt course through his veins as he stared down at what once was Merle- he shouldnt have asked him to trade Michonne for them, otherwise, he never would have done this.

The worst part over the whole ordeal was that Merle didnt even look like Merle anymore- it had been almost a weak since Daryl had ended his brothers ressurected form. It was only the attire he wore that Rick was only truly able to recognize him. His metal attachment clinging to his dead arm, and his white tank top stained with blood from the would "The Governor" gave him.

He winced with disgust as he propped Merle's weight underneath his white shoulder, the stench making him nearly gag. It was for Daryl- so he couldnt just let this go. Daryl who had helped him remember who he was and not who he had been. It was Daryl who was taking care of his- when he wasnt quite able to do. Daryl who was so much more than an extra set of hands- that man was his best friend. He owed it to him to lay his brother to rest, Daryl needed him to do this- not for Merle, but for his own sanity.

It was obvious the weight in which he owed Daryl- but there was more to it than that- he owed Merle for sacrificing his life, because if nothing else- Merle had taken it upon himself to prove his character to the group- to ensure his little brothers safety. The others may not understand what Merle had done, least not Glenn and Maggie, but he could- and he _appreciated _that.

So when Merles body was assorted into the bed of the truck, and Rick was covered in walker gunk and blood- things that shouldnt be coming out of Merle fucking Dixon- well- he had to take a good long look at him and force himself to remember the human being that was there. He shook his head.

"Somehow, I think you might be rolling around in the grave I havent dug for you yet, if ya knew I came out here to wrestle with your dead ass." Rick smirked down before clapping a hand around a dead leg. "Its the only way you left me to say thank you, and its the only thing I know how to do for Daryl." He paused as if wanting to say more before letting out a slightly nervous chuckle.

"Im talking to a corpse - thats as bad as talking to ..." He shook his head, covered up Merle with the tarp he had brought along, and hopped into the drivers seat.

X

"Up ahead." Tyresse stated firmly as Glenn struck a zombie in the head with a hatchet, the body flopping uselessly to the ground. They had cleared out about twenty walkers already- all must have stumbled in from the whole in the prison- since no one bothered to touch any doors. Their job was to discuss the wall and see what could be done- temporary assumingly and than more permanent.

"Damn." Glenn said taking a stand beside Tyresse as he looked out to the ground below.

"It isnt an easy fixer upper is it?" Karen said moving to the other side of Tyresse- Maggie following close behind. The gap was wide enough for almost all four to peek out into the world- and for at least two of them to enter and exit at a time.

"Naw." said Maggie biting softly on her lower lip. "Anything you think we can do temporary? I mean- getting the supplies to patch it up shouldnt be to hard now a days since everyones after ammo and food and not really picking out their dream homes but..."

"Look at all of them." Glenn said temporary interrupting her as he pointed to the tree line- "they'll all eventually find their way in here with as many of us as we have in here."

Karen looked at him quizzically, but Maggie responded before she had the chance to ask.

"We dont smell like they do. We're alive."

"Alright." Tyresse said speaking firm. "so what do we do about it, right now?"

The answer wasnt as obvious as they hoped, eyes wandering around the prison looking for a temporary solution to a huge problem.

"What if we just set up some traps, just make it a little harder to get in since we cant fix it right now."

"With what?" Glenn said, furrowing his eyebrows ready to disagree with the idea completely, though he wasnt sure if it was because she was a stranger or the fact he was genuinally skeptical.

"Hold on now Glenn- Karen might be right." Maggie said softly, her fingers gently running over his shoulder, an attempt at soothing him. "We could set up some sticks or something at least make it harder to get up here.

"And Holes." Tyresse said slowly, "Dumb things will just fall right in it if we make a big enough one."

Suddenly, the gap between them all didnt seem so wide. Suddenly, their seemed to be some sense in Ricks madness and some good left in this living dead world.

"Ill go get the shovels." Glenn said, trying to hide the smile growing across his features.

X

* * *

A/N: I know, I know this was suppose to have like two more lengthy parts here but im at my wits end on this thing. I hope you enjoyed the small update and know I havent forgotten about you guys.


End file.
